ALTOONA, IA—JANUARY 13, 2020—The Prairie Meadows racing office is excited to announce the availability of our 2020 Quarter Horse Stakes Program information. All Futurity and Derby nomination forms as well as the official full listing of our 2020 stakes races slated for the Quarter Horse racing season will be included.

The Quarter Horse racing season begins June 12 and closes September 26.

Owners and trainers should take note that nomination payments will begin with a March 1, 2020 deadline for initial payments on the following races: The Hawkeye Futurity (Iowa-bred Est. $100,000), The Cyclone Derby (Iowa-bred Est. $70,000), The Prairie Meadows Gold Futurity (Est. $175,000), The Iowa Double Gold Derby (Restricted Stallion Progeny Est. $100,000), The Iowa Stallion QH Futurity (Iowa-bred Est. $75,000), and The Iowa Stallion Derby (Iowa-bred Est. $60,000).

There will be an April 1, 2020 deadline for initial payments on the following races: The Valley Junction Futurity (Est. $250,000), The Altoona Derby (Est. $125,000), The Jim Bader Futurity (Iowa-bred Est. $175,000), and The Polk County Derby (Iowa-bred Est. $125,000). Please make sure you review each Futurity and Derby nomination form for payment schedule deadlines and note that several races do not have a grace period for mail due to the timing of payments received and scheduled trial dates.

A total of 24 stakes races are scheduled for Quarter Horses this year with an estimated total of $1.75 million in stakes purses offered. There are several new stakes races this year which will help enhance the program overall.

"With the new racing format and the season for Quarter Horse racing running from June 12 through September 26, it was imperative that we offer a stakes program for two- and three-year-olds that have opportunities from start to finish for both open and Iowa-bred runners," said Assistant Racing Secretary Chad Keller. "In addition, the older horses have a good variety of races to look at, with 110 to 250-yard dashes as well as 350 to 440-yard classic distances and around the hook at 870-yards."

The Prairie Meadows racing office plans to have a Quarter Horse condition book preview edition and stall application form available around February 1.

"Starting June 12, the typical daily race card will feature around three to four Quarter Horse races and eight Thoroughbred races on a Friday through Monday weekly schedule," Keller said. "The overnight purse structure is projected to be mostly in line with what we offered last year during the stand-alone race meet, but the race type categories will be trimmed down since we're going from eight races per day for 26 days to three or four races per day for 62 days. Bottom level open purse will be $7,500 and the top level open allowance race will likely be near $14,000 to $14,500. Iowa-bred runners will compete for overnight purses ranging from $10,410 to $19,432."

The 2020 full racing season at Prairie Meadows opens on Friday, May 1, with a Thoroughbred racing spotlight through June 8. Starting June 12, Thoroughbred and Quarter Horse racing will commence for the remainder of the season, which closes September 26. There will be 84 total days of racing for Thoroughbreds and 62 total days of racing for Quarter Horses in 2020.

"Additional information will be released in the coming weeks for both Thoroughbred and Quarter Horse racing, which will allow racing enthusiasts to make plans throughout the summer at Prairie Meadows," said Keller.

2020 live racing information including nomination forms, which include payment schedules and general conditions for each race, can be downloaded and printed from the Prairie Meadows website ( prairiemeadows.com) by clicking the Horseman's Info menu under the RACE & SPORTS BETTING tab and going to the Quarter Horse Racing sub-section of the website.

To receive communication on Prairie Meadows 2020 live racing season CLICK HERE.

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About Prairie Meadows
Prairie Meadows began operations as a nonprofit organization in 1989 with the goal of promoting economic development, jobs, agriculture, and tourism in the state of Iowa. Through taxes, grants, and charitable donations, Prairie Meadows has given more than $1.8 billion to the state of Iowa. Prairie Meadows offers more than 1,700 slot machines, table games, live and simulcast racing, hotel accommodations, entertainment, and more.